The new coronavirus or COVID-19 outbreak which has created a major stir around the world is causing huge damage to the global economy. Apart from claiming the lives of more than 4,000 people and infecting nearly 120,000 people worldwide, it has also become a major reason for the cancellation of many important events around the world.
The list includes many major sporting events which are supposed to take place in 2020 and the cancellation of these may create a huge hullabaloo in the sporting world. Despite being important, these fixtures may not take place as the countries hosting them have succumbed to the novel virus which originated from the Hubei province in China.
IBTimes Singapore brings you a list of four major sporting events that are facing the wrath of the deadly coronavirus:
Tokyo 2020 Olympics
The Tokyo Olympics has been making the headlines for quite some time but for the wrong reasons. The speculations about the Games getting cancelled or postponed are getting stronger day by day as the coronavirus cases are on the rise in the host country Japan. Currently, the cases of infection stand above 550 and the number of deaths are 12. It will be a major risk for sports lovers who will come to witness the quadrennial event if the event takes place as per schedule, which is July 24 to August 9.
However, the Japanese government has been continuously asserting on the fact that the Games will take place as per schedule. But it will not be a cakewalk for the ailing government who are currently trying to contain the deadly outbreak to organise a tournament of such importance. It will be interesting to see how things turn out in the recent future as the whole sporting world will be wanting the event to take place otherwise it will be a huge loss.
UEFA European Championship 2020
To celebrate the 60 years of the tournament, the 16th UEFA European Championship will take place in 12 cities across Europe ranging from Rome to London and Amsterdam to Azerbaijan. But in recent times due to the coronavirus outbreak, some of the nations are pleading UEFA to push the tournament, as per reports.
The first match of this year's final tournament is slated to take place in Rome which is located in Italy. Leonardo Da Vinci's nation has been the second-most affected country after China due to the deadly virus. Till now the number of infections stands over 10,000 whereas the death toll is over 630.
The European Championship is one of the most-awaited sporting events in the world. If the quadrennial tournament gets hampered due to COVID-19 then there will be huge losses in terms of football keeping aside the monetary loss.
Copa America 2020
The Copa America is slated to start form June 12 this year and will end just one month later. Although, South America does not fall under the severely affected regions due to the coronavirus the rate at which the virus is spreading it can be a major threat to the tournament.
The host nations Argentina and Colombia have been affected by the virus. On one hand, Diego Maradona's nation has reported its first coronavirus death and recorded more than 15 cases of COVID-19 whereas Colombia has registered three cases. It will be interesting to see how the situation turns out to be in the coming days.
ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020
This event is going to start from October 10 and the final will take place on November 15. Though this may be a farfetched idea that the tournament can face the brunt of the deadly virus. But the WHO had earlier claimed that the vaccine for the virus may take 18 months to be made, so it can become a factor which may hamper the tournament.
The cricketing tournament is slated to take place in Australia which has been recently hit by the deadly virus outbreak. The country has registered over 100 cases of the infection and the death toll stands at three. If the tournament does not take place then it will be a massive setback for cricketing fans.
Sports lovers all over the world are hoping that these events take place as per schedule so that the year which had the most exciting sporting calendar does not go to waste. But the safety of the players, as well as the fans, are important during these tough times.
